Dinita L. James

Biography

Dinita L. James has extensive experience litigating complex matters in state and federal court, including large employment discrimination class actions and wage and hour collective actions. She also represents employers in defense of individual cases arising under anti-discrimination, whistleblower protection and anti-retaliation laws and in enforcement of non-competition and other restrictive covenants.

Most recently, Ms. James won dismissal of a retaliation claim under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act brought by a former human resources manager and successfully defended a million dollar disability discrimination claim in arbitration. She also recently has represented a metals distributor in a federal trial of a non-competition matter; a medical practice and its management company against tort claims and a breach of contract claim brought by a physician; and litigated before the Nevada Supreme Court regarding enforcement in that state of restrictive covenants acquired by merger.

In addition, Ms. James has experience in the areas of defense of consumer and securities class actions and complex commercial litigation. She also has considerable experience in arbitration of civil and commercial matters, and in False Claims Act litigation and defense of corporate directors and officers in shareholder derivative actions.

Notably, Ms. James achieved a favorable settlement with a state attorney general’s office on behalf of a nonprofit Medicaid provider, helping it to avoid potential treble damages. In a recent commercial arbitration, Ms. James obtained an award for an insurance carrier that was only a fraction of its multimillion dollar exposure on a coverage dispute involving a complex corporate acquisition. Her wide-ranging experience includes antitrust, environmental, real estate, trust and probate litigation, and disputes involving contracts of all kinds.

Ms. James currently serves as Director of the Publications Division of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation, having recently completed a one-year term as Managing Director of the Section. For three years she co-chaired the ABA Litigation Section’s Committee on Class Actions and Derivative Suits and was elected in 2006 to serve a three-year term on the Litigation Section’s governing Council. She chaired the Council’s Diversity Committee for two years. Ms. James also chaired its CLE Committee, after being honored for two consecutive years with the Section’s Award of Excellence for CLE Programming. She is a Past President of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers and the Ferguson-White American Inn of Court. Ms. James is also a member of the State Bar of Arizona, Maricopa County Bar Association, Arizona Women Lawyers Association, Navajo Nation Bar Association, and the Sandra Day O’Connor Inn of Court.

Ms. James is AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, has been selected for inclusion on the Southwest Super Lawyers® list, as well as the Best Lawyers® list in Labor and Employment Law, and was named one of “Florida’s Legal Elite” by Florida Trend magazine.

Ms. James is a member of the Employers Counsel Network, is the Arizona editor for 50 Employment Laws in 50 States, and also edits the Arizona Employment Law Letter. She regularly presents seminars, including topics concerning immigration for Arizona employers, employment discrimination, FMLA compliance and employee leave challenges, and maximizing in-house/outside counsel relationships.

Before law school, Ms. James worked for more than seven years as a reporter and editor for the Greensboro News & Record and the Tampa Tribune and now advises clients on dealing with the media in high-profile cases. She graduated first in her law school class at the University of North Carolina School of Law and served as Executive Articles Editor for the North Carolina Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif. She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of North Carolina. Ms. James is admitted to practice in Florida and Arizona; U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona; U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Middle Districts of Florida; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits. She is also admitted to the Navajo Nation Bar.

Education & Bar Admissions

Education

• University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D.
• University of North Carolina, B.A.

Bar Admissions

• Arizona
• Florida
• Navajo Nation Bar
• U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
• U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Middle Districts of Florida
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits

In the News

• 8/17/2015 - GSH Attorneys Listed in 2016 “Best Lawyers in America”
• 8/13/2015 - Dinita James Authors “Ruling Doesn’t Clear Haze for Arizona Employers”
• 7/16/2015 - Dinita James Authors ““Prevent, don’t just pardon, manterrupting”
• 6/3/2015 - Dinita James Authors “Recent Events Confirm Racists, Misogynists are not Extinct”
• 4/21/2015 - Dinita James Authors “Deal With Insubordination Firmly, Quickly”
• 2/10/2015 - Dinita James Authors “Judge Bars Criminal Identity Theft Enforcement in Workplace”
• 1/15/2015 - Dinita James Authors “Phoenix Regional Attorney Promotes EEOC Guidance”
• 12/15/2014 - Dinita James was Quoted on HRhero.com – Diversity Insight Ezine
• 12/5/2014 - Dinita James Authors “State Minimum Wage Tops $8 Mark”
• 11/7/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Marriage Equality Comes to Arizona”
• 11/4/2014 - Dinita James Moderates “That’s Privileged, Isn’t It”
• 10/14/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Lawsuits Depict Dysfunction in Phoenix District Office of EEOC”
• 10/13/2014 - Dinita James Speaking at 2014 FMLA Master Class for Arizona Employers
• 10/3/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Multitasking Hinders Productivity”
• 9/8/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Cardinals Defend Concussion Claims”
• 8/18/2014 - GSH Attorneys Listed in 2015 “Best Lawyers in America”
• 8/13/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Liability Lurks in Various Trades”
• 7/1/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Profane Tirade Enjoys Protection”
• 6/6/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Legislature Halts Double-Dipping”
• 5/20/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Feds say Arizona Rules for Home Builders too Lax”
• 5/19/2014 - Dinita James Quoted in HR Hero’s Diversity Insight
• 5/6/2014 - Dinita James Wins General Excellence Award
• 4/15/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Amid SB 1062 frenzy, Tempe becomes 4th AZ city to protect LGBT status”
• 3/18/2014 - Dinita James Authors “Deducting Kilt Costs Tilts Against Eatery”
• 2/11/2014 - Dinita James Authors “The Customer is Not Always Right”
• 1/31/2014 - Dinita James speaking at Wage and Hour Master Class: The Advanced Interactive Workshop for Arizona Employers
• 1/31/2014 - Dinita James Authors “ADOSH Levies Huge Fine for Deaths of Yarnell Hotshots”
• 12/26/2013 - Dinita James Authors “Minimum Wage Workers get 10-cent Raise for 2014”
• 12/12/2013 - Dinita James Sworn in to Navajo Nation Bar Association
• 11/12/2013 - Dinita James Authors “Labor Shortage Stymies New Home Building”
• 10/21/2013 - Dinita James Authors “Car Wash Case puts Shine on New ICE Strategy”
• 10/7/2013 - Dinita James’ Speaking Engagements
• 9/13/2013 - Dinita James authored “Medical Costs for Workplace Injuries Soar”
• 8/15/2013 - Dinita James Authors “Same-sex partners of state employees will keep benefits”
• 8/15/2013 - GSH Attorneys Listed in 2014 “Best Lawyers in America”
• 7/12/2013 - Dinita James Authors “Food City employees win certification for pay scale claim”
• 7/10/2013 - Dinita James authored “Same-sex Partners of State Employees Will Keep Benefits”
• 6/25/2013 - Dinita James Spoke at the State Bar of Arizona Annual Convention
• 6/18/2013 - Dinita James authored “Faulty Records are a Particular Hazard for Arizona Employers”
• 5/2/2013 - Dinita James authored “Legislature Makes it Easier to Fight Unemployment Claims”
• 4/11/2013 - Dinita James authored “Phoenix, Flagstaff Extend Employment Protection to LGBT Status”
• 3/14/2013 - Dinita James authored “Nation Looks to Arizona’s Experience with E-Verify”
• 3/1/2013 - Dinita James authored “Phoenix Bans Sexual Orientation Discrimination”
• 1/4/2013 - GSH Welcomes Dinita L. James

Publications